49. Cafes and other amenities

Long a staple in bookstores such as Barnes & Noble, Borders and Books-A-Million, cafés offer a place for shoppers to linger over reading material. Now they…

Target unveils scannable mobile coupon program

March 10, 2010

Target announced that it is the first national retailer to offer a scannable mobile coupon program that allows guests to receive exclusive offers directly on…

51. Personal shopping devices

Now that regional supermarket chain Stop & Shop has successfully tested a personal shopping device, we might soon usher in an era of expanded adoption of…

StuffBuff debuts embeddable online stores

March 10, 2010

StuffBuff, which first premiered at TechCrunch50 2009, announced in a press release the launch of its “Tag Sales” – embeddable online stores – as an additional…

50. eBay

The thrill of winning an auction can cause quite a spike in adrenaline for eBay junkies. Since it launched in 1995, eBay’s online auction site has consistently…

The changing role of catalogs in multichannel

The ROI from catalog marketing is low relative to other online and offline media, according to a new report.

GlobalShop: 'Consumerism has become activism'

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

Envirosell's senior vice president shares research-based insights on the new American shopper.

Interbrand Design Forum ranks most valuable U.S. retail brands

March 10, 2010

Retail brand consultants Interbrand Design Forum today released the Most Valuable U.S. Retail Brands report, the second ranking of the top 50 retail brands.

Muzak launches sensory branding agency

March 9, 2010

Muzak, a leading provider of music, messaging and digital signage services for businesses, announced Touch, an exclusive new experience design and sensory…

52. RFID in retail

Item-level tagging of products is one of retail’s many Holy Grails; it has certainly been the center of both hope and speculation for years now, and the desire…

Cell phone sticker for contactless payments wins award

March 8, 2010

Convego Air Mobile, a sticker for contactless payment from Giesecke & Devrient (G&D), was a winner at this year’s CIT Golden Card awards in the…

Report: Retailers must adapt to 'conscious, practical consumerism'

March 8, 2010

With new shopping behavior data and demographic trends indicating that an enduring shift has taken place as a result of the recent economic downturn, retailers…

Christopher & Banks launches multichannel loyalty program

March 8, 2010

Christopher & Banks Corp., a specialty retailer of women's clothing, announced in a news release the launch of its Friendship Rewards loyalty program…

Turning retail into a game

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

"Entertainment shopping" can be fun for shoppers and profitable for retailers, but it can also ignite controversy.

Retail Customer Experience: Change or Die

by Bob Phibbs — CEO, The Retail Doctor

To compete in 2010 you've got to ask the hard questions and then find the answers. Generations of Americans have owned their own jewelry store and generations…

Mobile Monday: Overstock.com

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

A clever scratch-off feature isn't enough to salvage this thin offering.

Is Discounting Ever Appropriate?

by Dale Furtwengler — President, Furtwengler & Associates, P.C.

In-flight retail facing turbulence

March 4, 2010

On paper, it's a brilliant idea – take real-time retailing to the skies, arming flight attendants with card-swipe terminals so travelers don't have to wait…

Jesta unveils multichannel software module

March 4, 2010

Jesta I.S. Inc., a supplier of business solutions for the soft goods and specialty markets, has announced the extension of its Vision Suite to support…

Ten retail IT predictions for 2010

At the heart of the coming year is a focus on the "new shopper."